A comparative study of thyroid hormone levels in young diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Thyroid disorders can adversely affect diabetes control. The aim of the study was to compare thyroid hormone levels in type 1 diabetic patients with that of non-diabetic patients. Fifty two type 1 Diabetic patients were consecutively selected from among those attending the outpatient department of Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorder (BIRDEM) hospital. Fifty three healthy non-diabetic volunteers were selected from the students of a university. Both groups were below 30 years of age. The patients with type 1 diabetes have significantly lower serum FT3 levels (P <0.001) when compared to the control groups. There was no significant difference between controls and study subjects in terms of serum FT4 (P = 0.376) and TSH (P = 0.821) concentration. We conclude that alteration of FT3 is a common feature in these subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus.